Lithuanians bond in Eastern Maine Petkus, Zeikus share homeland tales

When the new schedules come out for the upcoming season, most college players check it for dates and opponents.

That’s what University of Maine basketball player Freddy Petkus and Husson College player Andrius Zeikus do, but then they make a beeline for a computer or media guide.

The only reason they check the schedule first is they need to find out which teams they’re playing. That way they can surf the Internet, check the team rosters, and see if there are any fellow Lithuanians playing for those teams.

When you’re about 4,700 miles away from home, any connection to it you can find is a welcome one.

“Before the season, I go on the Web and check the rosters of the teams we’re playing and see if there are any Lithuanians on there,” said Petkus, who grew up in the western coastal city of Plunge. “I really didn’t know there were any Lithuanians around here before I saw the Husson roster.”

Zeikus, Petkus’ countryman, has the same preseason ritual. Finding each other and then realizing they were only a 15-minute drive apart was a double bonus for the sophomore guards.

“I remember him from when we were still in high school and our teams played against each other,” said Zeikus, a physical education major. “We don’t have high school teams, but we have sports clubs. The competition is better than high school, but not as good as college.

“We grew up about 80 miles apart. His city’s probably twice as big as mine.”

Petkus, who remembered Zeikus by sight, but not by name, said Plunge is home to about 25,000-30,000 people. Zeikus is from Marijampole, near the country’s eastern border.

The two players got a chance to talk briefly when their teams played against each other in the Maine Holiday Tournament in Orono just before Christmas. Just for the record, Petkus’ Black Bears beat the Braves 100-68, but Zeikus won the individual statistical battle with eight points and two steals. Petkus had no points, but dished out four assists.

“We talked a lot after the game. You know, ‘how’s everything going’ and that kind of stuff,” Zeikus said.

They agreed to get together later when they’d have time to talk and did so two weeks ago when Zeikus visited Petkus at his apartment.

“We talked about a lot of stuff. It was the first time in almost a year that I talked to someone who was Lithuanian. Probably the best part of it was talking in Lithuanian,” Petkus said with a laugh. “My girl would ask me something and I’d start talking to her in Lithuanian, so I was like ‘Oh, sorry.’ It was definitely a great time just talking.”

Both players are getting regular playing time as their teams head into the season’s stretch run.

Petkus has appeared in 22 of Maine’s 23 games this season. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard is averaging a modest 4.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, but has seen his role expand as the 11-12 Bears have won three of their last four games.

“He’s kind of our unsung hero right now,” said Maine coach John Giannini. “He’s probably our best passer. If they gave out assists like they do in hockey, where a guy who sets up the guy who makes the assist also gets an assist, Freddy might be our leading assist guy.”

The business major’s multi-faceted game has been a bonus for Giannini, who recruited him out of prep school primarily for his shooting ability.

“The way recruiting rules are now, you don’t get to see players enough unless they’re local to know everything about them,” Giannini said. “We really thought Freddy was a very good shooter. As it turns out, he’s a solid shooter, but he’s far more.

“He’s really a winner and does a lot more little things than we were able to tell when we recruited him. The more I coach him, the more I appreciate the things he does to help us win. He’s a glue type guy.”

Zeikus missed four games with an ankle sprain, but has played in 15 of Husson’s 20 games and is averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The 6-4, 200-pound swingman has helped lead the Braves to a 16-4 record.

Both players grew up playing soccer and didn’t start playing basketball until seventh grade.

Petkus played on the team that won a bronze medal in the 1981 (age 18) division of the 1999 Lithuanian National Tournament. He has good sports genes as his mother Regina played for the junior international Soviet Union team. His father Algimantas coaches semi-pro and youth club soccer teams.

Zeikus, whose older brother Raimundas was a boxer, started playing because all his friends were playing.

“Soccer is big in Europe, but in my country, basketball is the biggest sport,” said the son of Galina and Andanas Zeikus. “Basketball is like a religion back home.”

Although both Petkus and Zeikus are happy where they are, they miss home very much. They both stay in touch with family and friends regularly via e-mail and phone calls.

“I do miss it. I haven’t been home for, like, two years and I miss my family,” said Petkus, who plans to go back and visit this summer.

“The hardest part is being away from family and friends, but I like it here,” Zeikus said.